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If you really want a more historical approach to the game, I guess you should basically remove censustaxes almost completely,
Hardly. Taxes and contributions, be it from the local lords, be it from municipalities, are paid yearly.

(Honestly, what kind of person would invest nowadays in something that definitly pays off by 2100?)
Many people around the world.
 
Indeed. That's why some entities enter into 100-year leases (think the US leasing Guantanamo Bay, or GB leasing Hong Kong).

Except of course that leasing something for whatever period isn't an example of what Andy 1984 was talking about. The payback on a lease starts immediately as you get to use whatever you're leasing from the moment the lease begins.

For the analogy to work you'd need to sign a contract and begin making payment, but only actually start using whatever you're leasing a century later. It's somewhat harder to find examples of this type of behaviour.
 
For the analogy to work you'd need to sign a contract and begin making payment, but only actually start using whatever you're leasing a century later. It's somewhat harder to find examples of this type of behaviour.
As magitsu said, planting trees. Many trees only become profitable after an extensive amount of time, almost 3 generations, chestnut trees and cork trees being just two examples.
 
As magitsu said, planting trees. Many trees only become profitable after an extensive amount of time, almost 3 generations, chestnut trees and cork trees being just two examples.

From Wiki:

Virgin cork (or 'male' cork) is the first cork cut from generally 25-year-old trees. Another 9 to 12 years is required for the second harvest, and a tree can be harvested about twelve times in its lifetime.

And on chestnuts:

When grown from seed, the trees do not begin to yield fruit until they are thirty to forty years old. Grafted trees can start bearing in their fifth year.

So in the most extreme circumstance it's 40 years until the trees become productive. Additionally, how many new chestnut and cork oak plantations are being planted as we speak?
 
So in the most extreme circumstance it's 40 years until the trees become productive. Additionally, how many new chestnut and cork oak plantations are being planted as we speak?
40-50 years old, that's the time it takes to core a colony, by then it's very profitable.
 
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They do NOT begin to yield fruit until 40 years old, but they are not profitable until much later.
(also, 40-50 years old, that's the time it takes to core a colony, by then it's very profitable).

I've got 50 years to optimal yield here. Also from the same source:

Yet, tree care is hardly an exacting task, requiring only 3 to 8 days a year per hectare of trees.

Which suggests that the investment isn't particuarly large in the first place. Besides which, the original question wasn't how long it took for an EUIII colony to core, but who would make an investment that only paid back in 2100 - i.e. in 89 years time. I have my doubts that chestnut plantations constitute a substantial capital investment.
 
I've got 50 years to optimal yield here. Also from the same source:
Sorry, I was trying to edit my message for the last ten minutes, but my Internet went down.

Anyway, in 50 years you have a profitable colony (because the original question was about the investment in colonies), and what kind of country do you manage if you don't think with over a 100-year spawn?
 
Which percentage of total world investments is invested in those kind of 100 years investments? I am sure is very, very low, so it´s not representative. I think Andy was basically right.
To further contribute to that point: basically anything we have now with regard to long-term-planning, be it some forest, some plantation, leasing rights or other things, can be sold. In essence: they already have a value of their own from the moment you own the rights or the good, even when the payback would only start in a century.

That's something else entirely from the investments in EU3. Manufactories can't be sold. Regimental camps for boosting the prices of iron cannot be sold to independent merchant-families in your empire. The only exception to this may be colonies, as they can be sold in EU3. Not against real value of the colony obviously, as the AI is a bit too retarded to realise why Havana is worth a bunch of cash in 1500. But still, it can be sold and therefore is theoretically worth something from the very beginning.

So in a MP-game with regard to selling colonies, Ano1453 is probably right when/should he state that investing over hundreds of years is realistic. Sadly enough, I can't find any other example in the game.
 
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That's something else entirely from the investments in EU3. Manufactories can't be sold. Regimental camps for boosting the prices of iron cannot be sold to independent merchant-families in your empire. The only exception to this may be colonies, as they can be sold in EU3. Not against real value of the colony obviously, as the AI is a bit too retarded to realise why Havana is worth a bunch of cash in 1500. But still, it can be sold and therefore is theoretically worth something from the very beginning.
Oh, so you're talking about selling manufactories, workshops and the like?
 
Except of course that leasing something for whatever period isn't an example of what Andy 1984 was talking about. The payback on a lease starts immediately as you get to use whatever you're leasing from the moment the lease begins.

For the analogy to work you'd need to sign a contract and begin making payment, but only actually start using whatever you're leasing a century later. It's somewhat harder to find examples of this type of behaviour.

Many oil companies in the US lease lands from the US government for potential future exploration and drilling. They actually don't even have plans to drill but do it to lock out other companies from even trying to get those rights.

EDIT: Or what about pure scientific research. There is no guaranteed payoff, you can't resell it and you don't even know if anything will ever come from it. Some R&D investments are also like this.
 
Just a thougt, shoud the trade good(gold/silver/gems) not just inprove Base Tax, over time..

Reason: Peaple will come, more business(look wrong spelled, but google says its so you spell it..), more things to tax, more Base tax... Can found a lot..

I will say, there are more importent things, like when slaves are obsolite, why does it all become Maize and Corn, slaves are even better, even if your the only one in the world that have em, then these goods.
 
Pyramids! People built those (at huge fiscal and human cost) knowing they'd never take advantage of them in their lives!

And prayer trusts!

But these are just silly exceptions, not really representative of much. :)